Percy, Annabeth, and the River Styx
by EverafterDemigodGallagherCahil
Summary: CONTINUED. This takes place in TLO, when Nico and Percy go to the River Styx, but Annabeth and Thalia tag along! What happens when Percy feels compelled by his vision of Annabeth to tell her how he really feels? Written by author of That Night at the Lake
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys, I'm Everafter, the author of That Night, at the Lake, it's another PJO story, check it out. The first chapters of this story were written by Blazing Star of ThunderClan, I just continued and made minor changes to it. Since the first chunk of it's already written, I'll be posting about one chapter a day.**

**Chapter 1:**

**I Dive Into the Styx**

Percy's POV

"Percy, honestly, this is crazy!" Annabeth was _still_worrying, _still_insisting that this was a crazy idea. Which it was. But I didn't have much of a choice. It was life or death; simple as that.

We were in my least favorite place at the moment: the Underworld, on our way to the River Styx. Nico had this idea that if I bathed in the River Styx, I'd have a better chance of taking down Luke - I mean, Kronos. Annabeth must've overheard me and Nico talking about it, though, because she and Thalia stopped us just as we were about to leave and said that they wanted to come, too. So right now Annabeth, Thalia, Nico, and I were headed to the Styx.

"I'll be fine, Annabeth," I responded, though I wasn't sure if I was telling the truth.

"What would I do if you..._died_, Seaweed Brain?"

"Um..."

"Cry that your boyfriend is dead," Thalia teased.

"Shut up, Thalia," Annabeth muttered, blushing. Annabeth and I were best friends, but we weren't, like,_together_or anything. But lately rumors had been spreading around camp that me and her were secretly dating, and we were teased constantly about it. But, to be honest... I wish those rumors were true. Ever since she kissed me on Mount St. Helens, I've loved Annabeth. And I'm not talking about brother-and-sister love. I'm_in_love with her, Annabeth Chase, Daughter of Athena. Not that anybody else knew that.

"We're here," Nico announced. In front of me was the filthy River Styx, polluted with peoples' dreams that they threw away as they died.

"So...I just, jump in?" I asked Nico. He looked at me incredulously. "Well, if you want to be burned to death, then go ahead and jump," he snapped impatiently.

"Well, what do I do?"

"Think. Imagine one spot that'll be your weakness. And try to imagine something... or some_one_that'll keep you tied to the mortal world. If you had to choose one thing or person that would survive while the rest of the world died, who or what would it be?" Nico instructed.

I thought about a spot on the small of my back, and figured that's where my Achilles spot would be. But what…or _who_ could possibly keep me tied to the mortal world? I looked down the row of my friends. Thalia, Nico...I stopped at Annabeth.

I stared at her shiny golden hair, her intelligent gray eyes that made me feel mushy inside. Her eyes stared back into mine. She was so pretty, and yet she didn't even try to be.

Thalia cleared her throat. "Are you two having a moment or something? Quit staring at each other! Jeez!"

"What? Oh." I stuttered, my face hot. I dropped Annabeth's gaze.

"C'mon, are you planning on Styx-bathing anytime this year?" Nico urged.

I turned toward the Styx, hesitant. In the stories, jumping into the River Styx was the most painful experience possible. What if I didn't make it back out? What if I died right here? Would I?

Only one way to find out.

I glanced back at all my friends, prayed I would survive, and then dove into the River Styx.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

**The Vision**

_PREVIOUSLY..._

_I turned toward the Styx, hesitant. In the stories, jumping into the River Styx was the most painful experience possible. What if I didn't__make it back out? What if I died right here? Would I?_

_Only one way to find out._

_I glanced back at all my friends, prayed I would survive, and then dove into the River Styx._

NOW...

Percy's POV

My entire body was burning. The sensation was worse than bathing in a pool of acid. It should've be impossible for something to hurt this much.

I couldn't fight the severe pain. I couldn't remember anything; the pain blocked it out. I was going to die.

But suddenly, I saw something. Not something. Some_one._

I saw a pretty girl with blonde hair smiling down at me, wearing jeans, an orange Camp Half-Blood T-shirt and a Yankees cap, which was strange, because it should have made her invisible.

"You have to be careful, Seaweed Brain," she said, trying not to laugh. She held out her hand.

We were at camp. I had fallen out of my canoe, and I was in the canoe lake, my clothes dry. Wait a second, my clothes dry...?

My name was Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon, the Sea God. No wonder my clothes were dry. I took the girl's hand. Annabeth. She helped me up and out of the canoe lake, and even after I was out, she still held my hand. Her hand felt warm and soft.

"Falling out of your canoe and then screaming like that was really smooth," she laughed. Her laugh was beautiful. All the pain I'd been feeling a minute ago was gone. Suddenly, Annabeth leaned forward as if she were going to kiss me. I could see the small, cute freckles on her face, see the shadows of her eyelashes, felt her warm breath wash across her face. But a second before our lips met, she and the scene around her disappeared, leaving everything black.

"Annabeth? Where'd you go?" I yelled in surprise.

And then I felt myself exploding out of the River Styx.

Annabeth's POV

Seaweed Brain still hasn't come out of the River Styx, and I was trying not to show how deeply worried I was about him. What would I do if never came back up? What if I never saw him again? Think positively, I told myself. He'd be fine. He had to be.

"Annabeth," Thalia called, walking over to sit on the floor with me.

"What?" I asked, my voice full of worry. Apparently I wasn't hiding it very well.

"Percy's not dead right now," she said. "I asked Nico, and he still feels Percy's life aura. Percy's definitely alive down there."

I smiled gratefully at her. At least I know he's alive right now. "Thanks, Thalia," I said.

She smiled back. "You like him, don't you?" she asked.

"No, Nico's just a friend." I answered.

Thalia laughed. "You know I'm not talking about Nico! Don't avoid the question!"

I blushed, hoping she didn't notice. "Then who are you talking about? You have to be more specific."

"Perseus Jackson, the one you call Seaweed Brain!" she said. "Son of Poseidon! The possible child of the Great Prophecy! The one you've known since you were twelve, who killed the Minotaur with his bare hands! That specific enough for you?"

"Oh. Um, no, I don't like him." I lied, my face even warmer.

"Yeah right! Annabeth, you know that you-"

"ANNABETH? WHERE'D YOU GO?"

And then my Seaweed Brain exploded out of the River Styx.

"Percy!" I screamed, running toward where he'd landed on the ground.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:**

**We Need To Talk**

_PREVIOUSLY_

"_ANNABETH_? _WHERE'D_ _YOU_ _GO_?"

_And_ _then_ _my_ _Seaweed_ _Brain_ _exploded_ _out_ _of_ _the_ _River_ _Styx_.

"_Percy_!" _I screamed_, _running_ _toward_ _where_ _he'd_ _landed_ _on_ _the_ _ground._

_**Now...**_

Annabeth's POV

"Oh my gods, Percy, are you alright?" I asked him, bending down on my knees next to him. I quickly scanned his body to see if there was any permanent damage.

His skin was bright red, and he was steaming slightly. But there was something different about him. He looked... well, strong. His skin looked as though nothing in the world could possibly penetrate it.

"W... Wise Girl?" he asked, looking stunned. His eyes opened a crack, and I felt as if the weight of the world was off my shoulders, knowing he was alive.

"Yes, it's me, Seaweed Brain," I answered, relieved that he could speak.

It might've just been my imagination, but his face suddenly looked as if it became redder, like if he were blushing.

"I'm alive," he said, amazed.

"Yeah, you are! Are you feeling okay?" I asked again, smiling.

He ignored my question, saying, "I'm alive... thanks to you." I gave him a confused look. _What is he talking about?_

"Huh? Percy, what are you-"

"Hey, Seaweed Brain! You made it out!" Thalia came walking over, Nico at her side. I became slightly annoyed after she called him 'Seaweed Brain'.

"You alright?" Nico asked, concerned.

"Yeah, guys, I'm fine." Percy replied, sitting up next to me. He suddenly held my hand, and I could feel him trembling slightly. I blushed. His hand was tough and blistered from being in the Styx, but still soft.

Thalia noticed that he'd grabbed my hand, saw me blushing, and gave me a look that said, _I know that you like him._I stuck my tongue out at her. But seriously, why was he holding my hand? Not that I didn't like it…

"What's wrong, Seaweed Brain?" I asked with real concern. I figured he was scared or something.

"Well... um..."

"A lot of pain? That it?" Nico asked.

"Uh, yeah, that's it. Nothing more," he said, still trembling. He stared at the ground.

I sighed. "Percy, I can tell when you're hiding something. Are you sure that's it? Nothing more?"

He looked at me. "Can I talk to you….alone?"

"Uh, sure." I replied, surprised.

"We'll be back, guys." he said to Thalia and Nico.

We got up, Percy still holding my hand. We walked out of earshot, behind a big black chunk of rock so that Thalia and Nico couldn't see nor hear us.

"What's wrong?" I asked. Was he going to tell me a secret? What was going on?

He let go of my hand. "Annabeth, I... I have to tell you something."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4:**

**I Saw You**

_PREVIOUSLY..._

_"What's wrong?" I asked. Was he going to tell me a secret? What was going on?_

_He let go of my hand. "Annabeth, I... I have to tell you something."_

_Now..._

Annabeth's POV

"Tell me something? Tell me what?" I asked.

"Well, um... you know how Nico was saying that I had to imagine something or someone that I cared about the most? That would keep me tied to the mortal world?" he began, looking nervous.

"Yeah...?" I didn't know where he was going with this. Why would he want to talk to me privately about what Nico had said?

"Well... I saw... a girl. A girl that was with me at camp. I'd fallen out of my canoe, and I was in the canoe lake," he explained slowly. "She held out her hand to help me out, and I took it. But even after I was out of the lake, she still held onto my hand. And then... well, she leaned in as if she were about to kiss me," he blushed. "But... a second before, y'know, our lips met," he blushed even darker, "She just... disappeared," he concluded. "And, that girl... well, I care about that girl more than anything," Now his face was red in the extreme. I wasn't really sure what to think. Why did he want to tell me this so badly? And who was this _girl_? She couldn't have been a person he'd never met before, because how could he care about a stranger more than anything? But... wouldn't he have mentioned a name if he were talking about somebody he knew? Unless... he didn't want me to know the name? My temper flared. There's only one girl on this planet who Percy knows I don't want to hear about, and that girl is...

"Rachel Elizabeth Dare?" I demanded, struggling to keep my voice down. "Percy, why the Hades would I want to know about your little romantic vision about Rachel?"

His eyes widened in surprise. "Annabeth, why would my vision be about her?"

"Don't act like it wasn't her you saw!" Now I was really mad. Percy Jackson was mine! Whoa, where'd that come from? He wasn't mine! But he sure as Hades wasn't Rachel's!

"Annabeth, it _wasn't her_!" he looked desperate, as if he were trying to get me to realize something.

"Then who was it?" I was so angry that my eyes were tearing up. But why was I so mad? I already knew that Percy liked Rachel more than me. I was just wasting my energy on unnecessary anger right now. But dang it, did that kiss on Mount St. Helens mean nothing to him? Because... it sure meant a lot to me. I'd kissed him for more than good luck. I kissed him to get my point across that I loved him, just in case he died. And now he was having visions about _Rachel_? Was I nothing in his life? No more than a mere friend? I had totally put my feelings on the line with that move. I had been completely vulnerable to him. He has the power to break my heart. _Stupid_, I thought,_ Why would you kiss him when you knew he didn't like you?_

He sighed. "Wise Girl, listen to me," he said, looking a little calmer. The only reason I was listening was because I liked when he called me 'Wise Girl'. I punched other people when they called me that. "What did you hear just before I exploded out of the river?"

"Uh, I heard 'Annabeth, where'd you go'." I said in a _duh_ voice, still hurt.

"Exactly. And what was the last thing that happened in my vision?" he pressed. He sounded nervous, like whatever he was trying to tell me he really didn't want to say out loud.

"Um... the girl disappeared?" In my mind, I replaced the words _the girl_ with _Rachel._

He smiled hopefully. "Yes. Now, tell me... how do those two facts connect?"

_They don't connect!_ Was what I felt like saying. I was a child of the Goddess of Wisdom, and even I couldn't figure out what he was trying to point out. My mind was clouded with indecision.

"I don't know! You're making no sense!" I exclaimed.

The hopefulness vanished from his face. "Annabeth... please, don't make me say it." he said. "You're a child of the Goddess of Wisdom! You should be able to figure out what I'm trying to say."

"Are you insulting my intelligence?" I asked, though I wasn't offended. I was just playing with him.

He smiled. "Seriously, Wise Girl. What I'm trying to say is so obvious!"

"Apparently, it isn't."

He blushed slightly, taking a step toward me. "Do you _really_want to know who I saw in my vision?"

"Well, yeah! That's the only reason I'm still standing here!" I urged, getting angry.

He blushed even darker, looking at the ground. Couldn't we get through a simple conversation without him blushing all over the place?

"Annabeth..." he began, his gaze still on the floor. "I... I saw-"

"What the Hades is taking so long?" Thalia yelled, running over. Gods dang it! He was just about to tell me!

Thalia stopped when she noticed how close together Percy and I were standing. "Um... I'm gonna go..." then she turned around and ran back where she'd come from.

"Okay..." I said.

Percy looked annoyed. "Annabeth. I did not see Rachel in my vision. I saw somebody I've known since I was 12. Somebody who said I drool in my sleep. Somebody that calls me Seaweed Brain. Somebody who kissed me on the cheek for the first time after we won the chariot race together. Somebody who survived having the weight of the sky on her shoulders. Somebody who kissed me again on Mount St. Helens, who I have loved ever since." Okay, now my heart was really racing. "Annabeth," he said, "I saw _you_." I was seriously breath less. I was still holding my breath when he slowly leaned forward, cupped my face in his smooth hands and traced his thumbs over my cheeks. Then he kissed me. I'd never been happier.


	5. Chapter 5 & 6

**Chapter 5:**

**You Can't Hide Anything**

**Okay, sorry I keep forgetting to post chapters, but I've gone all control freak and ended up making more changes to the chapters that I'd originally thought. Again, all (except for a few sentences here and there and the complete first paragraph) credit goes to Blazing Star of ThunderClan, who is an amazing author. I've decided to put two chapters together and submit them as one from now on to make up for taking a while to update and because the chapters aren't all that long.**

**DISCLAIMER: …..I own nothing except this laptop and an over imaginative case of ADD.**

Percy's POV

….I swallowed the lump of nerves in my throat and leaned forward. I kissed her attentively at first, my lips barely brushing hers, not even a kiss really, waiting to see if she would pull back. Even that faint contact with the pads of her lips was enough to send my mind reeling. I had my eyes closed, and slightly opened one to see she had her eyes closes, looking expectant. I put a little more pressure on her lips, and before I knew it, she had started moving her silky lips against mine and had her hands around my neck so fast I opened my eyes in surprise. I put my arms around her slim waist, smoothing my hands over the wrinkles of her camp shirt, caressing her back. I moved my other hand up to cup her cheek, smoothing my thumb over her smooth skin and pulling her lips even more into mine. She had her hands in my hair, and it felt so good having her fingers running over my scalp…Our kiss was slow and loving, full of assurance. I began to get more passionate, gripping her tighter and moving my lips more frantically over hers. Eventually I needed to breathe and slowly released her. I gave her one last soft kiss, and a few pecks before I fully let her go. She felt so good…

"Wow..." Annabeth gasped.

"I'll say..." I breathed heavily.

She looked up to smile at me, and I smiled back. She blushed.

"So..." I began, "What do we do now?"

"Well... I think we should go back to Thalia and Nico, before Thalia runs over again," she murmured, though she looked like she didn't want to move. "So I'm guessing that the rumors are true now?" she smiled sheepishly, liking pretty darn cute.

I grinned. "Pretty much."

Suddenly, she looked half-worried, half-scared. "Oh my gods, Percy. What are we going to do about our parents? And Aphrodite?"

_Uh-oh_, I thought. "Well... let's just hope your mom doesn't kill me."

"And Aphrodite?"

"Um... let's hope she doesn't tell anyone?"

She groaned. "This is gonna be tough."

"We'll worry about it later," I soothed. I'd do whatever it took to be with her.

"Fine," she said, but she didn't look worried anymore. In fact, she was smiling.

"C'mon, let's get back to Thalia and Nico," I said.

She smiled even wider. "We're not telling them anything, right?"

"Nope."

"Okay, then let's go," she said.

We walked over to them, and I have to admit I was disappointed that my alone time with Annabeth was over.

Thalia and Nico were sitting on the floor playing rock/paper/scissors, and they were arguing. Thalia had one hand made into a piece of paper, and Nico had one hand made into a rock.

"Paper beats rock, Nico! Everybody knows that!" Thalia claimed.

"How can a piece of thin little paper beat rock? A rock would tear that crap up in two seconds!" Nico argued.

"Good to see you two are getting along," I muttered.

They looked up. "Finally, you're done! What were you guys doing?" Thalia asked suspiciously.

Annabeth and I tried to hide our blush "Um, not much. Just talking," I answered lamely.

Thalia studied Annabeth's expression for a moment, and then said, "Annabeth, look at yourself. You're practically glowing. Being in the Underworld can't make anybody that happy. Something must've happened between you two. Now _what happened_?"

Annabeth and I remained awkwardly silent.

Thalia narrowed her eyes. "You can't hide _anything_from me! I'll figure out what you two are trying to hide eventually. You may as well just spill it right now."

_Cricket. Cricket_.

"Gods, mortals can be so annoying!" Thalia complained.

"Well... where do we go now?" Nico asked, trying to break up the argument.

"All I know is that I'm ready to escape the Underworld," Annabeth said anxiously.

"Me too," Thalia agreed.

"Okay, then," Nico said. "Percy, you're gonna have to call Mrs. O'Leary."

I nodded. I whistled, and then a minute later, _BOOM!_A huge wall of black slammed into me. I fell to the ground, a giant hellhound licking my face.

"Whoa, Mrs. O'Leary! Okay, girl! C'mon! Let me up!" I exclaimed, laughing.

She got off of me, and I stood back up with hellhound slobber all over my face.

"Ew. Now what?" I asked, wiping my face off.

"The fastest way outta here is by shadow traveling," Nico explained. "All of you, jump onto Mrs. O'Leary's back."

"Sure. Down, girl," I said to Mrs. O'Leary, and she crouched down. First I climbed onto her back, right behind her neck. Then I helped Annabeth on behind me, and then I helped Thalia on behind Annabeth.

"Okay, guys, let's go!" Nico exclaimed. He ran straight toward a tree, then disappeared behind the shadows.

"Um, to Camp Half-Blood, Mrs. O'Leary," I ordered. Annabeth wrapped her arms tightly around my waist, causing my heart to do jumping jacks. I felt her bury her face in my back right before the giant hellhound ran straight toward the same tree that Nico had, and we, too, melted into the shadows.

Everything went pitch black. I could feel myself moving at about a hundred miles per hour, and my face felt like it was going to peel off.

It was exhilarating.

Not a moment too soon, it became bright again, and we were suddenly in the strawberry fields of Camp Half-Blood.

My dog collapsed from exhaustion, and we quickly climbed off of her back.

"Thanks, girl. You go ahead and rest," I told her.

She barked in agreement before closing her eyes to sleep.

I turned around, and I noticed Annabeth staring at me with an empty look in her eyes.

"What?"

She blushed. "Um, nothing," she said, looking away.

I grinned. "Checking me out?" I teased playfully.

Then I remembered that Thalia was standing about a foot away. I glanced at her, and she was staring from me to Annabeth.

"You two are acting really weird," Thalia said. "It's obvious that something happened down there. I'm not really sure what, but I _will_find out." She walked off toward the Big House.

**Chapter 6:**

**I Will Find Out**

Thalia's POV

After Percy and Annabeth had finished talking privately down in the Underworld, they'd been acting unusual. First of all, Annabeth didn't usually stare at Percy like that. And she'd looked... incredibly happy. That's an understatement. She had looked... _blissed out._I'm not saying that there's anything wrong with her being happy, but happy in the Underworld? That just wasn't right. And she looked at Percy differently. She looked at him almost proudly, like she was beaming at him, as if he was the best thing that'd ever happened to her. I've never seen her look at anybody that way, besides Luke.

And Percy, he's easy to read. It's obvious that he's hiding something. When I'd asked them what they'd been doing, I'd expected him to say smoothly, "Just talking." But instead he'd said, "Um, not much. Just talking," and he'd sounded nervous. Obvious sign that something's up.

I wasn't really sure what was going on between those two, but I was going to find out.

"You two are acting really weird," I told them. "It's obvious that something happened down there. I'm not really sure what, but I _will_find out," I threatened, walking off towards the Big House to greet Chiron.

As I walked through the strawberry fields, inhaling the aroma of strawberries baking in the sun, I couldn't help but calm down. This place held a lot of memories for me.

"Thalia? What a surprise!" Chiron spotted me from the Big House, playing pinochle with Mr. D.

"Hi, Chiron. Mr. D," I greeted, running over.

"Hello, Trisha. Er, you're the pine tree, correct?" Mr. D greeted in an unfriendly tone.

I ignored him. "Percy and Annabeth have been acting strange lately," I complained, taking a seat next to Chiron.

Chiron seemed slightly interested. "Strange in what way?"

"Well... Annabeth keeps on staring at Percy, and they've both been acting nervous lately. As if they're hiding something," I explained.

"It seems as though I've won again, Chiron. Hurrah," Mr. D muttered, looking bored.

"_Di immortales_," Chiron cursed under his breath.

It didn't seem like anybody was going to listen to me here, so I got up to leave. "See you later," I muttered, walking down the stairs of the Big House.

I wasn't really sure where to go or who to talk to, so I took a walk on Half-Blood Hill. The outdoors always comforts me. I wondered what the rest of the Hunters were doing right now...

"Thalia," a familiar voice said. I looked up to see Nico Di Angelo, leaning his back against my pine tree, stroking a contented-looking Peleus.

"What's up, Nico?"

"I'm leaving," he said hurriedly. "I can't stand this camp. Well, at least not right now…Tell Percy and Annabeth I'm gone, okay?"

"Sure," I muttered. "But where did you shadow travel to? I haven't seen you since the Underworld."

He frowned. "China. Shadow traveling takes lots of practice; you guys were lucky that you ended up here. After China, I tried again, and I ended up here, next to Peleus. Good thing he likes me."

"Yeah, good thing," I agreed, trying not to roll my eyes. "See you later, Nico."

"Later," he agreed, shooting me a rare smile and then ran at full speed toward a tree next to mine. Right before he should've crashed into the tree, he disappeared behind the shadows.

I was suddenly lonely, so I turned and sprinted back into camp. I knew who to talk to.

I searched everywhere until I finally found my favorite satyr, walking around with a couple of his satyr buddies in the strawberry fields.

"Grover!" I called.

He turned. "Thalia!" he ran over and I hugged him.

"Thalia, I can't believe you're here! What's up?" he smiled.

"I just took a little trip with Annabeth, Percy, and Nico, and we just got back. So here I am," I said.

"I hardly ever see you anymore! So how've you been doing?"

"I've been good. Listen, I need to talk to you about something..."

He frowned. "What's wrong?"

"It's about Annabeth. Annabeth and Percy. You see..."


	6. Chapter 7 & 8

**Hey guys! I'm going to try to update more frequently so y'all won't get as mad at me, but like I said, I'm making this story my own and changing it a l'il bit, so just bear with me. Also, I have a Deviant art account; my username is EverafterDemigod, check out my drawing of Annabeth! **

**Chapter 7:**

**I Cannot Believe You Two!**

Thalia's POV

"And... well, it's been bugging the Hades out of me," I concluded.

I'd just told Grover the entire story, not skipping a single detail. We had walked as we talked, so right now we were sitting on the canoe lake pier.

"Wow," he murmured. "Y'know, I've been noticing things like that too," he said. "Percy and Annabeth don't, like, _act_different or anything, but their emotions are different when they're near each other," he explained.

"Different how?"

"Well, they both seem to be thinking about... sometime that they'd kissed?" His statement came out sounding like a question.

I frowned. "But, if they had, wouldn't we know about it? The Aphrodite cabin isn't exactly secretive."

He nodded in agreement. "When I read emotions, Thalia, I know quite a few details about what a person is thinking," he explained. "Annabeth and Percy keep on thinking about some time that they kissed on Mount St. Helens. I don't know anything more about it, just that it happened on Mount St. Helens."

This was actually starting to make sense. "Of course! You guys and Tyson had all gone on a quest last year, right? In the Labyrinth? But then you sensed Pan, so you and Tyson left, leaving those two alone?"

His eyes widened in realization. "Oh my gods, that's it! And Percy had caused an explosion on Mount St. Helens after Tyson and I had left, when Percy and Annabeth were alone! _That_ must've been when they kissed! Sometime before the explosion!"

"Yep," I said, pleased that their little secret was finally out.

"Oh my gods, why didn't they tell us?" Grover sounded hurt.

"I'm not sure," I said, anger in my voice. There was no reason for them to keep it a secret! Everybody knew that they were just a couple of lovebirds! "I'm going to go ask Annabeth right now," I growled. "And I think I'll beat up Percy for kissing her, too!"

_Several Minutes Later, still in Thalia's POV..._

I pounded on the door of the Athena cabin. Annabeth had some serious explaining to do.

One of Annabeth's younger brothers opened the door. "Can I help you?"

"Is Annabeth here?"

"Um, no, but I saw her walking with Percy," he said.

"Okay, thanks," I said, running away.

I ran around the camp, in search of the two. Finally I found them, battling in the sword arena.

Percy stabbed at Annabeth's stomach with Riptide, but Annabeth deflected the hit off the blade of her dagger. Percy had on no armor at all, since he was invincible, but Annabeth was wearing a bronze breastplate.

"You're gonna have to fight harder than that, Seaweed Brain!" Annabeth exclaimed, jabbing at his ribs.

Percy deflected the hit, then went for her stomach again.

Their blades connected, and Annabeth twisted her knife, trying to disarm Percy. It worked; his sword clattered to the floor. She smiled triumphantly, and pointed her knife at his throat. Percy held up his hands in surrender.

"I win again," she smiled, bringing her knife back down.

"Okay, that's enough, you two," I muttered, walking in between them. They both looked surprised to see me. "Annabeth, you have some serious explaining to do," I snarled before either of them could say anything. "I can't believe you guys!" I shouted, barely containing my anger.

"Thalia, what's your problem?" Percy demanded, stepping between me and Annabeth. Oh, great. Now he was defending her. How cute.

I turned on him. "You know _exactly_ what my problem is, Fishface!"

"No, I don't!" he yelled back, anger in his voice. "So you better tell me what the Hades you're talking about!"

How dare he yell at me! "I cannot _believe_ that you two kissed and didn't tell anybody!"

**Chapter 8:**

**Idiots**

Annabeth's POV

"I cannot _believe_ that you two kissed and didn't tell anybody!" Thalia roared.

Percy and I were speechless, and we were both blushing madly. How did she know about that?

"Um... no we didn't," Percy lied, _oh so convincingly,_ after about three minutes of silence.

Anger blazed in Thalia's eyes, and I was surprised that she didn't drop a lightning bolt on Percy. She looked like she wanted to. "Don't lie to me, Kelp Head! You know you did!"

"How did you know?" I asked.

"You two don't hide things very well," Thalia growled. "It wasn't that hard to figure out. Now why didn't you tell anybody?"

"Uh, I don't know. We wanted to keep it a secret," Percy said.

I sighed. "And we didn't succeed for very long."

Thalia stared at me in disbelief. "What do you mean, you didn't succeed for very long?" she demanded. "A year is a pretty long time to me!"

Huh? "Thalia, did you hit your head or something?" I asked. "It wasn't a secret for a year. It was only a secret for about half a day!"

Suddenly, the anger and disbelief vanished from her expression, replaced by confusion. "What the Hades are you talking about?"

Was she messing with us or something? Before I could reply, Percy mumbled, "Thalia, we kissed this morning. If we barely got together this morning, then how could it have been a secret for a year?"

For a second, Thalia seemed even more confused. However, two seconds later, anger became her dominant expression again. "YOU TWO _WHAT_?"

Uh-oh. "Well, wasn't that what you were talking about?" I stuttered.

"I was talking about Mount St. Helens, you idiots!" she screamed at us.

Percy stepped in between Thalia and I, protecting me. "Don't call her an idiot!" he yelled, straight up in Thalia's face.

Uh-oh. I thought he would've known better than to yell at Thalia. "Don't you _dare_yell at me, Seaweed Brain!" she screamed, her eyes full of pure rage. I'd never seen her this angry; it was starting to scare me. What if they started fighting?

"I'll do what I want!" he screamed back, not noticing Thalia's anger.

Thalia looked about ready to kill Percy. Thunder rumbled in the distance, shaking the entire building.

"Knock it off, you two!" I screamed at them. But it was too late.

Thalia screamed, and a huge thunderbolt broke through the ceiling, striking Percy straight on.


	7. Chapter 9 & 10

**Chapter 9:**

**I Can Simply Kill You**

Annabeth's POV

"Percy!" I screamed in sheer terror.

The thunderbolt zapped Percy, and the impact sent him flying out of the nearest window with a crash. I sprinted out the door to make sure he was okay, though I knew in my heart that he was dead.

I found him about five yards away from the sword arena, sprawled motionless on the floor.

"Oh my gods, no! Percy!" I cried, kneeling beside him. His eyes suddenly opened, much to my relief. "Percy! Oh my gods, are you okay?"

He looked up at me. "Did that really just happen?"

"Well, if you're talking about Thalia dropping a thunderbolt on you, then yeah." I cried, relieved for the second time that day that he could speak.

He stood up off the ground, and I stood up with him. "That surprised me... but it barely hurt." he muttered, rubbing his chest.

At first I didn't know what he was talking about. I felt my face mold into an expression of confusion. How could a giant lightning bolt dropped on your head not hurt? But then I remembered: he was invulnerable. Of course it didn't hurt him.

I spotted Thalia in the distance, walking out of the sword arena. "How'd that feel, Jackson?" she called. "Maybe that'll teach both of you that love is a useless emotion! You two are wasting your time and energy on it!"

Percy clenched his fists. "Is that what this is about? Just because Annabeth and I are together?" he called back. "I understand that you don't believe in love, being a Hunter and all, but that doesn't mean you should interfere with me and Annabeth!"

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever, Fishface," Thalia called. Jeez, she was in a bad mood.

I looked behind me, and I noticed that something was wrong with the canoe lake. Ten foot waves were forming, and the water swirled angrily. The lake was reacting to Percy's emotions.

"What's your problem, Thalia?" Percy called angrily. "Stop trying to interfere with me and Annabeth!"

"You know what?" she called back, walking over to us. "I think I _will_ stop," she said. "Why would I try to interfere when all I have to do is... simply kill you?"

Suddenly, a familiar sword appeared in Thalia's hands: it was half celestial bronze, half mortal steel.

It was Luke's old weapon: Backbiter.

**Chapter 10:**

**It Wasn't Her**

Annabeth's POV

It was Luke's old weapon: Backbiter.

Well, poo.

"What the... oh my gods, Thalia, what's wrong with you?" Percy demanded in shock and disbelief.

Looking for comfort, I grabbed Percy's hand. He looked at me, confused at Thalia's behavior. "Um... Thalia... what's wrong with you? Percy's your friend! _I'm_your friend! And how did you get that sword?"

Thalia smiled a cold, evil smile. A smile that didn't belong to her. "Well, Annabeth. I'm surprised that you haven't figured it out yet. You were always so intelligent, yet even _you_didn't notice."

"Thalia... what..."

Again, she smiled. I studied her expression, and as I stared, her eye color changed, slowly melting into a different color: liquid gold.

My knees buckled in shock. I probably would've hit the floor if Seaweed Brain hadn't caught me. "Y- you're..." I stuttered.

"Luke," Percy spat, uncapping Riptide. I unsheathed my dagger.

Thalia-Luke turned on him, roaring in the voice of the King of the Titans, "Luke Castellan is dead! I am Kronos, Lord of the Titans!"

Thalia began to glow, and Percy and I averted our eyes. When we looked up again, 'Thalia' was gone. In her place was Luke, looking exactly the way he had when he'd betrayed us a few years ago. Except for the eyes.

The weapon in the Titan Lord's hands morphed, becoming something much more threatening: Kronos's scythe.

"Hmmm... well, I suppose I shall let you two and this camp live for another night or two," he claimed. "Be expecting my army, Jackson," he threatened, holding up his scythe in a mock salute. Again, he began to glow, and again Percy and I averted our eyes. When we looked up again, he was gone.

"Oh my gods, Percy," I said, fear in my eyes. "What are we going to do?"

His face was pale. "I don't know. But we have to warn the rest of the camp."

I had totally forgotten about the rest of the camp. How had they not heard anything that had just happened?

I sighed. "I think we should talk to Chiron first."

_5 Minutes Later, In The Big House..._

"Chiron, we need to talk," Percy said.

Chiron could already tell from our expressions that something was wrong. "Then speak, child."

Percy and I told him the entire story about the River Styx, Thalia going crazy, and Thalia suddenly morphing into Kronos. We also told him about Kronos's warning. We told him every important detail of the day, except of course for the part at the River Styx when Percy kissed me, because, since Thalia was gone, we figured our secret was still safe.

"So, Chiron..." I started, "Why did Kronos look like Thalia? It makes no sense, if he was just going to turn back into himself later." I had to choke back my tears as I spoke, and it showed in my voice. Percy rubbed my back comfortingly. No way Thalia betrayed us.

Chiron wore a serious expression. "Annabeth, I do not believe that was Thalia."

Percy interrupted, "But, if it wasn't her, then how did it look like her? And sound like her?"

"Perseus, do you recall anything that I taught you in my class a few years ago?" he asked with slight humor. "Gods may take on any form that they wish," he reminded me. "I do not believe that Thalia would turn over to Kronos. She's too caring to ever go against her friends. I believe that my father morphed into appearing exactly like her, then went on the trip with you two and Nico, posing as Thalia."

I was actually relieved. Sure, Kronos had been tailing us the entire day, but that meant that Thalia hadn't been with us at all. She hadn't attacked Percy; Kronos had. She hadn't threatened to kill Percy; Kronos had. I don't know which would've been worse. And, best of all, she wasn't evil; Kronos was.

"But Chiron," I asked, "If that wasn't Thalia, then how did Kronos shoot the lightning at Percy?"

Chiron frowned. "I do not know. But, seeing how he is the father of the Big Three, and Zeus, it is possible that he may be able to control thunder and lightning as well, although that is not his job. Perhaps, before the Big Three were born, Kronos had controlled the sky, and he still has the ability now."

"Interesting," I murmured.

Chiron nodded. "However, there is something that I still don't understand about your story," he muttered. "What was it that had made, er, 'Thalia' so upset, causing her to attack Percy with the lightning?"

I wasn't sure who was blushing darker: me or Percy. "Um... just... certain issues. But, if that was Kronos and not Thalia, then why would he get so upset over what he found out?" I asked.

"Well, I don't believe that Kronos actually cared about whatever it was he found out. He was most likely just looking for an excuse to attack Percy, so he pretended to overreact about whatever he found out." Chiron explained. "But, children, what was it that he found out?" he asked. "If you don't tell me, I'll just expect it's something much worse than it is," he threatened. (A/N: Quote from _Twilight_!) "Honestly, it can't be _that_ bad."

Percy and I locked eyes, not sure whether to tell him or not. An understanding passed between us.

I actually laughed. "Chiron, I believe Percy would like to tell you that story," I said, blushing.

Percy blushed with me. "No, Wise Girl, I believe _you_would prefer to explain to him what happened this morning."

"Okay, then," I fake agreed. "Chiron-"

"No, I wanna tell him!" Percy interrupted.

Chiron frowned, but then he chuckled. "Children, please, I can't handle the suspense."

Percy took a deep breath, then said, "I, um... I kissed Annabeth this morning."

I looked down, my face tomato red.

Chiron smiled. "Oh, okay, I understand. And I'm guessing it's a secret, right?"

We nodded.

"You children grow up so fast," Chiron sighed. "Okay, then, I will announce this news about Kronos to the rest of the camp at the dining pavilion tonight."

"Thanks, Chiron," Percy and I said together, causing us to laugh.


	8. Chapter 11 &12

**OH. MY. GOSHNESS. I am soooooo sorry guys! I didn't realize it had been a whole MONTH since I'd updated! I got a review from the original author, and almost cried when I saw how pleased she was with the changes I'd made. Keep reviewing!**

**DISCLAIMER: Pfft. Yeah I own it. Completely. Absolutely. The certificate of ownership is right next to crown jewels, and pet elephant, Tiny.**

**Chapter 11:**

**What the Hades, Chiron!**

Annabeth's POV

Percy and I were sitting on the canoe lake pier, our hands intertwined, just hanging out and watching the sunset together. His hand was warm, but calloused, and I thought it was just like him. Warm, and kind, but battle hardened, and tough from years of fighting waves were now calm and peaceful, once again reacting to Percy's emotions.

"Percy..." I hesitated.

"What's wrong?" he asked, his eyes full of concern.

Something had been bothering me ever since Kronos had threatened the camp. "Um... I've been thinking... what if Kronos's army is too strong, and we can't hold the camp? What if... what if these few days before he invades are the last that we'll have to be together?" I asked with difficulty. I wasn't yet accustomed to having to always explain my feelings to him. I had been holding this thought in for a long time, and it felt good to finally mention it to him.

Percy took a deep breath, and then gazed into my eyes. "Annabeth, we _will_hold the camp," he claimed with a determined expression. "I won't let Kronos destroy this camp. _We_won't let Kronos destroy this camp. It's home. And I most definitely will make him pay for intimidating you." He leaned in hesitantly and bravely pecked me on the lips.

Immediately, my face grew warm, and so did his. All the... er, _contact_between us was still awkward. We were still used to holding in our feelings. Gods, I had to get used to this.

I smiled, still worried for the camp and our lives, but I wasn't going to make him worry about me by showing how frightened I was. "What do you think the real Thalia would think about us? Y'know…together?" I asked wistfully, staring out into the ocean.

Percy smiled lightly. "I think she'd be happy for us," he said. Suddenly, his face took on a curious expression. "When I first came to this camp, on my first day, what did you think of me?"

I thought back to a few years ago, to the day that I first met him. "I didn't really know what to think of you," I admitted. "I was a daughter of Athena, and you were a son of Poseidon. I should have hated you, but... I _couldn't._You were so caring, so cute, so brave, so willing to be friends. After our first quest, all I knew was that I definitely _didn't_ hate you." I smirked. "I knew you weren't like what I thought a son of Poseidon would be like," I explained.

Percy was silent for a moment, digesting this. "What do mean, you just knew you didn't hate me?"

"Well, I knew I didn't hate you, but I didn't know yet that I….liked you. I didn't figure that out until you took the weight of the sky off my shoulders," I admitted.

A smile slowly grew on Percy's face. He looked into my eyes warmly. "I…kinda love you," he whispered, blushing and looking shy.

I smiled happily with him and blushed lightly. He loved me? Wow. I never thought that he…I mean, I wasn't sure… "I love you, too." I said back, blushing, looking down at my lap. I looked back up to see him smiling, his teeth as white as pearls.

Just then, the conch horn blew, signaling dinnertime. Time for the announcement about Kronos. I had to admit, I wish I'd gotten more time alone with Percy.

"Time to go," I grumbled.

"I wish we didn't have to go, but if we didn't show up, people would get suspicious, or think that we got attacked by a hellhound or something," he muttered.

He stood up and held his hand down to pull me up. We both leaned slowly in. I expected a quick good-bye peck, but Percy had other ideas. Instead of simply pecking me, he put both his hands around my waist, holding me tight,pulling me in and kissing me softly, his lips moving gently against mine, sending chills down to my toes. He tugged on my bottom lip and I let out a little murmur. He then started kissing me more passionately, even more so than this morning. He tugged me closer to his chest and tightened his grip on me while quickening the pace of his kiss. I locked my arms around his neck and leaned into him, deepening the kiss even more. I was out of breath when we pulled away from each other.

"You're... good at…that," I panted, and blushed.

"Not bad yourself," he smiled.

Just then, a satyr fell from the tree on the side of us, landing right between me and Percy.

"Oh my gods, it's true! You two_are_together! Why didn't you tell me?" Grover stood up and brushed himself off. He looked excited and hurt at the same time, if that was possible.

Percy stared at Grover as if he'd just dropped from the moon. "Were you _spying_on us?" he seemed like he was trying to sound upset, but I could hear the amusement in his voice.

"Of course I was! But that doesn't matter! All that matters is that a daughter of Athena and a son of Poseidon are in _love!_Oh my gods, this story's gonna be passed on for centuries!"

"Are you saying that you're gonna tell everybody?" Percy demanded, still not sounding very angry. It would be hard for him to get upset at his best friend.

Grover looked surprised. "Of course not! If you two want it to stay a secret, then I'll keep it a secret. But Aphrodite isn't exactly secretive."

"How long have you been watching?" I asked.

"Since Percy asked you, 'What's wrong'," he answered simply.

"So... you basically heard everything?"

"Yep," he answered smugly.

"Okay, whatever," Percy said to Grover. "We have to get to dinner," he reminded us.

"Oh, yeah." I had actually forgotten for a minute.

"I'll see you right after dinner, okay, Annabeth?" he said, pecking me on my cheek.

"Sure," I said, blushing only because Grover was watching. Well, sure, he'd been watching the entire time, but...

As Percy turned unwillingly and walked away, I felt a strange longing. I wasn't usually like this, but it felt so good to finally have him like that, and I didn't want to be away from him.

Grover grinned. "Time to go!"

And then we turned and walked side-by-side to the dining pavilion.

_At The Dining Pavilion..._

"Everybody, I have an announcement," Chiron said in centaur form, locking eyes with me and then Percy. He gestured with his hand for us to stand up, and we did so simultaneously. "Percy and Annabeth have had an interesting day today." He jumped into the story from the beginning, and now he was at the part when Thalia/Kronos had just dropped a lightning bolt on Percy. "I suppose Percy and Annabeth were not very secretive about their little kiss, now were they?" He chuckled, but then his eyes widened, remembering that he was supposed to keep that a secret.

Percy's eyes widened in surprise at the betrayal, and so did mine. How could Chiron do this to us? I mean, everyone would know at some point, but it just made it so much more awkward and humiliating announcing it like that in front of the whole camp.

Everybody began either cracking up or snickering, but my siblings glared at me in disbelief. The Aphrodite Cabin, on the other hand, were practically squealing with excitement.

Chiron cleared his throat, and then he jumped right back into the story as if nothing had happened, which must've been difficult with the roaring of the other campers.

He finished the story, then he asked, "Okay, any questions?"

A few campers raised their hands, and Chiron pointed to an Ares camper. "Yes?"

"Um, yeah. Did Percy and Annabeth just kiss, or was it full-blown make out, rolling on top of each other and everything?"

The other campers howled, and I don't think I've blushed more than that in my entire life. Percy followed my lead, looking like a tomato.

There was no point in just standing there, with everybody mocking and laughing at me and Percy. I rolled my eyes and stood up, storming toward Thalia's tree.

"Annabeth, wait!" Percy called, sprinting after me.

**Chapter 12:**

**I Love You**

Percy's POV

"Annabeth!" I yelled, running after her.

She didn't stop, and I was afraid she would stomp all the way to Mexico, but finally she stopped and sat down with her back against Thalia's tree. I sat down next to her on her left, putting my right arm around her shoulders and holding her hand with the hand on my other arm. She snuggled closer to me, and I kissed her forehead.

"Annabeth, don't worry about them," I tried to comfort her. "I love you. That's all that matters, right?"

Surprisingly, Annabeth didn't look as upset as I'd expected. "No, nothing matters more to me than the fact that you love me. I love you too. But I'm not worried about them. I just hate it when people laugh at me. It was just so unexpected, Chiron blowing the secret. I kinda freaked out," she admitted.

"Y'know, I'd gladly beat any one of them for being so obnoxious if you wanted me to. Maybe even Chiron," I offered.

To my relief, she laughed. "Not today, Seaweed Brain. Maybe later."

Then I remembered what I was planning on telling her. "Hey, you don't have to explain to Thalia about us."

She stared at me in disbelief. "She's my best friend, Percy! Besides, everybody else knows about us already. Of course I'm going to tell her."

"No, no, I didn't mean that. I mean _she already knows_. She was at dinner, in an Iris Message. Her image popped up by my table out of nowhere; scared the Hades out of me. I don't think anybody else noticed her. She was just visiting; asking me how things were going. Nothing really important. But she was listening during Chiron's announcement," I explained.

She groaned. "That means that she saw me walk away from everybody, doesn't it? Great. She'll probably be here in a few minutes, ready to beat the Hades out of everybody for laughing at us." There was slight humor in her tone.

I actually laughed at the thought- Thalia bringing the rest of the Hunters, dropping lightning bolts and shooting arrows at everybody in sight. "That'd be fun."

She laughed with me, and I could tell that she was already getting over what had just happened at dinner. Without meaning to, we stared into each other's eyes as we laughed, and before I knew it, we were silent, and she was leaning in slowly.

Our lips met, and I have to admit it was the best feeling I've ever gotten. Kissing the person you love... as a teenager, I doubt there's anything better than that. I felt pure admiration for this girl, pure love. Why she chose me, I have no idea; I was the luckiest demigod in the world.

Unexpectedly, she seemed to be trying to get on top of me. She was kissing me slowly, but gently nudging me toward the ground. I lay slowly down on the grass without breaking the kiss and allowed her to; I could feel her smiling beneath my lips. She crawled up on top of me, snuggling against my chest and we kissed even more deeply than before, our entire bodies pressed together. I could feel her fingers tangling in my hair, and I slipped my hands on top of the small of her back, rubbing circles and holding her there. She moaned softly, and I shuddered in pleasure. It was hard to believe that we were both still new to this.

She hesitantly pulled away from me, and I sat up. We both were panting heavily; I was slightly light-headed. I wasn't sure how long we'd both just gone without breathing.

Annabeth smiled at me dreamily. "How is it that, no matter what, you always manage to make me feel better?" She asked.

Before I could respond, I heard somebody clear their throat. "So, I see the rumors are true," a familiar voice said.

Annabeth and I looked up, and I blushed deeply at the person's image in front of us. How long had they been watching?

"Hi, Thalia," Annabeth greeted, sounding embarrassed and sheepish.

The daughter of Zeus's misty image was in front of us; apparently, she'd sent another Iris Message. She smiled. "_Finally_! I was afraid you two would never stop making out!" she teased.

My face grew even warmer, if that was possible. Annabeth laughed. "Shut up, Thalia!"

Thalia grinned. "So, Annabeth, I see you finally went through with your idea." The way she said this, I had a feeling that her and Annabeth were sharing a secret.

"Thalia, you promised me you'd never talk about that in front of him!" Annabeth protested, her eyes growing wide.

"Talk about what in front of me?" I asked curiously.

Thalia turned to me and grinned even more widely. "You see, I was the first one that Annabeth told her feelings about you to," she began.

"Thals!" Annabeth interrupted. Apparently, she _really_ didn't want me to know what Thalia was about to tell me.

Thalia ignored her. "And, well, Annabeth figured that, if she kissed you, you two would end up together. And, apparently, she _did_ kiss you. This morning, right?"

I gave Annabeth a smug grin. She stuck her tongue out at me. "Actually, Thalia, she didn't. _I_ kissed _her_this morning_.__She_ kissed _me_on Mount St. Helens," I corrected.

"Thanks a lot, Thalia," Annabeth muttered.

"If you didn't want me to tell him, you should've had me swear on the River Styx," Thalia said innocently. Smiling mischievously.

"Whatever."

Suddenly, Thalia's face took on a serious expression. "I came here so that I could tell you two something important," she said suddenly. "You campers won't be fighting the battle alone. The Hunters will be by your side."

Annabeth gasped. "Thalia, you're the best! But….there's hardly any chance we'll win," she worried. "We'd be leading you into a slaughter."

Thalia frowned. "Since when do you worry so much?" she demanded.

"Since I got a boyfriend," Annabeth muttered, so low that I wasn't sure if she'd meant for us to hear.

I turned to Annabeth. "I promise you, _nothing_ will happen to me or you," I told her. "We may get hurt, but we _will_survive this battle. Everybody will. I know it."

Annabeth looked at me, grateful for the support. "Seaweed Brain, being all stupid." She said, but I could tell from the look in her eyes she didn't mean it.

Thalia smiled. "Well, I see you two are probably about to make out again in a few minutes, so... well, I probably should get going. Artemis is waiting. The Hunters and I should be there by tomorrow morning, because Kronos can strike at any time. So... see you tomorrow?"

"Sure," Annabeth said. "Bye."

"Bye," I said.

"Later," and Thalia broke off the message with a swipe of her hand.

I gazed up at the sky, and I was barely noticing how dark it was out here. There was almost no light at all; everybody else would be asleep already. "Annabeth, it's late," I murmured. "I think we should go to bed."

"Probably," she sighed, standing up. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Why are you standing up?" I objected.

She looked confused. "I'm going to my cabin."

"I never said anything about going back to our cabin," I said mischievously.

Annabeth just looked more confused for a second, but after a moment she smiled widely. "Are you saying we should sleep out here?"

"Don't you feel like it? Besides, it's not like anybody will notice; everyone's asleep. But we don't have to if you don't want to," I added quickly.

"I guess one night wouldn't hurt," she said, laying down on the grass.

"Okay, then," I smiled, laying down beside her.

She wrapped her arms around me. "Goodnight, Seaweed Brain," she whispered as I wrapped my arms around her, too. She tucked her head under my chin and on my chest.

"Goodnight. Love you."

"Love you too."

I leaned in and kissed her cheek. "Goodnight." I closed my eyes.

"'Night."

I thought I would never be able to sleep, with Annabeth holding me and everything, but I didn't realize how tired I was. So much had happened today: I bathed in the Styx, I confessed my love to Annabeth, and I _kissed _Annabeth. Kronos dropped a thunderbolt on my head, and I found out that Kronos had been disguised as Thalia. Plus, Chiron had blown our secret. All at the same time, today had been the best and the worst day of my life. I couldn't wait for tomorrow.

After about a minute of just laying there, I fell asleep with Annabeth in my arms.


	9. Chapter 13 & 14

**Chapter 13:**

**It Will Only Grow Stronger**

Percy's POV

"Percy. Seaweed Brain! Hey, get up!" Someone roughly shook my shoulder.

"What?" I answered groggily, my eyes still closed.

"It's morning. C'mon, we overslept! Everybody's going to breakfast right now!" Annabeth said urgently.

My eyes flew open, memories from yesterday's past events flooding back into my mind. "What? Already?" I sat up.

"We'll get caught if we stay here. Come on!" she said, standing up and pulling me up with her.

We ran hand-in-hand into the woods by Thalia's tree to avoid being seen, which was a mistake.

After we'd run about 10 yards, a loud, deep growl came from behind us. Annabeth and I froze. Immediately, I uncapped Riptide, and the 3-foot-long celestial bronze sword grew in my hands.

We turned, and a giant hellhound about the size of a large truck stared us in the face. How did it get past the boarder? It lunged for Annabeth.

I stepped in front of her, and I was about to slice the monster to bits when, somehow, I ended up on the ground with the hellhound's front paws on my chest. This thing was faster than normal.

"Percy!" Annabeth cried, unsheathing her dagger.

The hellhound raked its giant claws across my face, and I smiled as I felt absolutely no pain. With a yell, I kicked the over-sized dog off me, sending it flying.

It hit the floor, but quickly jumped back onto its feet. It swiped at Annabeth, who sidestepped and stabbed the dog with her knife.

With a yelp, the thing disintegrated into dust. I ran over to her, scared she had been hurt.

"Oh gods, are you alright?" I asked with more concern than necessary, pecking her on the lips.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "I'm fine, Seaweed Brain! You?"

"Invulnerable, remember?" I said, smugly.

"Oh, that's right. But-" she suddenly looked worried, "how did that thing get on the camp grounds? It couldn't have gotten past the borders unless-"

"Someone in camp summoned it," I finished her sentence grimly for her.

She swallowed. "We have to get to the dining pavilion. Besides, who cares if people know we slept outside together? We need to report this to Chiron. It looks like we have another traitor among us."

Annabeth's POV

As Percy and I entered the dining pavilion, hand-in-hand, the campers began whispering among themselves and giggling. I couldn't care less. Percy had been right: He loved me. I loved him. I shouldn't care how other people acted around us.

We'd decided we would tell Chiron about the hellhound incident after breakfast, so I began walking towards the Athena table to join my siblings. When I'd arrived at my table, I realized that Percy was still holding onto my hand, right next to me.

For some reason, my face grew warm. "Er, Percy, shouldn't you go to your table? You'll get in trouble if you stay here," I said, sad that we couldn't sit together, but not wanting to get him in trouble.

I could feel my siblings' gazes burning into my back. Percy smiled mischievously. "Yeah, I probably should," he said, wrapping his arms around my waist in full view of the other campers. He pulled me in and kissed me slowly, at first I was surprised, but then I kissed him back eagerly, placing my hands on his shoulders. The universe seemed to disappear; suddenly, there was nothing in my world but Percy and I. Too soon, he pulled away, and I was suddenly back in the dining pavilion.

I pecked him on the lips quickly before he completely let me go. "Love you," I said unabashedly, not caring what the other campers thought.

He smiled. "Love you."

I turned unwillingly to sit down with my siblings, not meeting their curious gazes.

"_Love_, Annabeth? With a son of _Poseidon_, of all gods? I don't mean to make you unhappy, but Mother will not be pleased," my half-brother Matthew warned.

I glared at him. "I don't care what Mother thinks."

He shrugged, but still looked troubled.

Slightly irritated, I got up to serve myself some food, then headed over to the fire to sacrifice a part to the gods. Percy had beaten me there.

He dropped in a piece of barbecue, not noticing me. "To Athena," he said. "Please, don't be angry with your daughter," he whispered. He turned and walked back to his table, still without having noticed me. I felt my chest glow with warmth. He really was the sweetest. Not that I would ever admit that to him.

I walked up to the fire and dropped in the biggest, juiciest-looking grape on my plate. I thought. "To Aphrodite," I decided. "Please, let this relationship work," I begged.

Up on Mount Olympus...

"How cute!" Aphrodite squealed, watching over the scene in the camp.

"What is it now?" Athena asked irritably, walking over to where Aphrodite was standing.

Aphrodite smiled. "Your daughter Annabeth just requested that I let her relationship work," she said, "and I will, just because I quite like her."

Athena's eyes sparkled with interest. "Really? My Annabeth, is in a relationship? With whom?"

"Take a look for yourself." Aphrodite grabbed a remote control and rewound a scene from last night on the giant TV in the throne room, which served as a device to spy on the mortals below. Nothing more amusing than spying on your children's personal lives.

The scene showed Percy and Annabeth, laying in the grass together by Thalia's tree. "Goodnight, Percy," Annabeth whispered, hugging Percy.

Percy put his arms around her. "Goodnight. Eh…love you." He said shyly.

"Love you too." She said, blushing and ducking her head down.

Percy grinned at her, love in his eyes. Annabeth smiled broadly back at him.

Percy leaned in and pecked her cheek, causing Aphrodite to squeal. "Goodnight," he whispered.

Aphrodite hit the pause button. "Well, what do you think?"

Athena was staring at the giant TV screen in disbelief. "Perseus Jackson? Son of _Poseidon_? That is who my daughter…_thinks_she is in love with?"

Aphrodite smiled smugly. "She does not _think_ she is in love. She _knows_ it. I've been watching over these two for quite a while, and they've each been sure of their love for each other for a few years now. She may be a daughter of the wisdom goddess, but love always powers over wisdom in the end, my lady. Nobody can stop it, not even I. I simply enhance it. Their love for each other right now is far beyond what they should be feeling at their age, and it will only grow stronger."

**Chapter 14:**

**Surprise!**

Annabeth's POV

"Okay, campers, breakfast is now over!" Chiron announced. "I'm going to be playing a serious game of pinochle with Mr. D in a few minutes, so I will need to be undisturbed for the next few hours while Mr. D and I battle it out. Campers, you all know that the camp is soon to be under attack, and battle strategies will be discussed later today with the cabin leaders. I request you all practice offense attack in the mean time. Now, does anybody have anything they'd like to say?"

Percy and I locked eyes. I nodded. Simultaneously, we stood up. "Chiron, we have serious news," Percy announced. Chiron nodded for us to continue.

"There is another traitor among us," I said, locking eyes with a few of the other campers.

Chiron frowned. "And how are you sure of this?" he challenged.

"This morning, Annabeth and I were attacked by a hellhound," Percy stated. "It was in the woods, _inside the camp's borders._It couldn't have gotten in unless somebody inside the borders summoned it. A double agent."

Chiron sighed. "The camp is under attack...we have another betrayal...There is too much going on right now. Thank you for telling me this, children, but I'm afraid there is not much we can do about this traitor. Kronos will eventually do away with them. Everyone, you are dismissed."

Everybody got up noisily and began to go their separate ways outside, and I walked over to the Poseidon table.

"It's better that we told him," I said as I held out my arms and Percy hugged me sweetly.

"I know." He sighed. "But I'm really not looking forward to finding out exactly who it is. We never know; it could be one of our friends."

"We'll worry about it later." I tried to sooth him by gently pulling his face closer and softly kissing his lips, reassuring him.

He smiled lightly after I let him go, snaking his arms around my waist. "I just…this past day has been one of my absolute happiest." he whispered suddenly, softly caressing my cheek. "I've been waiting _four years_ to get you. Now I do…with this battle coming up…I might loose you." He was looking into my eyes the whole time, albeit blushing. I was blushing too, but I had soft smile on his face. This was one of the few times he had been completely open with his feelings. I knew there was some vulnerability in his eyes, so I knew _I _had to tell _him_ just what I felt too.

"Do_you_have any idea at all how much you mean to me? I have just as much to loose. But we don't need to think about that. Let's focus on the now and how we're gonna stop this army." I countered, putting my hand over the one on my face, holding it there. I looked him steely in the eyes, forcing me to say this without looking away or stammering.

His eyes shone with happiness, but the wariness was still there, just put away for now. "You're right." He said smiling softly.

"Hey, get a room, lovebirds! C'mon, people have to eat here!" a familiar voice called, quite ruining the moment.

I turned, Percy and I releasing our hold on each other. "Thalia!" I cried, remembering her promise from last night._"You campers won't be fighting the battle alone. The Hunters will be by your side."_How could I have forgotten that?

The daughter of Zeus herself was walking up to us from about 5 yards away, wearing her Hunter's uniform, her skull earrings and a _Girls are Better_T-shirt. The blessing of Artemis, a heavenly light, radiated from her.

"Hey, you two." She smiled that same, friendly old smile. How I had mistaken Kronos for her, I have no idea.

"Hey, Thalia. Get a room, huh?" Percy greeted in a friendly tone.

"Geez, I was just kidding!" she laughed.

"Where are the rest of the Hunters? And Artemis?" I asked.

"They're moving into Artemis's cabin, and Artemis is helping them. What do you guys feel like doing? Or... do you two feel like being left alone? Because I have to go help them with their things anyway."

"No, of course not, Thalia!" Percy insisted.

She laughed. "Good. I was afraid you guys would always want to be alone now and... do whatever it is you do when you're alone," she said with humor.

"Um…no, that's okay." I rolled my eyes. "We've had plenty alone time," I reassured her, my face slightly warm.

"Calm down, I was just messing with you. So-"

The ground suddenly began to tremble with a rough up-and-down motion, cutting off whatever she was about to say. I struggled to stay balanced. Al the cabins were shaking, the grass roof of the Demeter cabin was raining dirt. I held onto Percy's arm for support.

Percy's eyes widened in surprise. "An earthquake? Right now?"

"No, Kelpface, earthquake tomorrow!" Thalia retorted sarcastically.

"FOR THE TITANS!" a booming, cold voice bellowed. I felt all the blood drain run out of my face as I froze up.

Suddenly, hellhounds were everywhere. They came from the cover of the forest, stalking forward evilly shoulder-to-shoulder in synchronization in the front line. They individually growled and swiped their huge paws, and a camper standing too close was immediately wounded. I had never seen so many at once.

Behind them came an entire phalanx of _dracaena,_shields locked together_,_with their spear points bristling over the top. I didn't look to see what kind of terrible monster came next.

The entire camp suddenly became a madhouse. Campers ran back and forth, some panicking, unsure of what to do. Percy and I met each other's gazes, and I could detect slight fear in even his sea-green eyes.

"Campers, prepare for battle!" Chiron ordered, shock leaking through his calm voice. Nobody had expected this to happen tonight.

This was no earthquake. It was the marching of the enemy that shook the ground.

The invasion was starting.


	10. Chapter 15 & 16

**I'm so sorry!1 I completely lost track of time. I can't believe it's been over a MONTH since I updated! I've been super busy! I got my first job, and a new dog, and….well, also I was lazy. But really, I'v been a little disappointed with the lack of reviews, so consider the wait your unintentional punishment;)**

**Chapter 15:**

**Hellhound After Hellhound**

Percy's POV

A line of hellhounds erupted from the cover of the forest, advancing shoulder-to-shoulder leisurely in perfect synchronization. It was incredibly terrible the way they loomed all around the boarder. A familiar-looking camper was standing too close to their line, and almost immediately, one of the hellhounds leaped and wrestled him fiercely to the ground, dragging him away. Only later did I realize that it had been the Ares kid from dinner the other night. Karma, baby.

The hellhounds were followed by an entire phalanx of _dracaenae_, shields locked together, with their spear points bristling over the top, looking like a solid wall of steel with porcupine hair. I averted my gaze, not wanting to see what kind of terrifying monster came next.

Campers began panicking, running back and forth, unsure of what to do. Annabeth and I locked eyes, and her expression mirrored what mine probably was; I could detect slight shock, slight fear. However, I also saw something else: A blazing determination.

"Campers, prepare for battle!" Chiron ordered, sounding shocked yet calm at the same time. Like he had done this a thousand times. Which, of course, he has.

The invasion was starting. The battle.

Suddenly, battle armor appeared all around our feet, as if we were about to suit up for Capture The Flag.

I had no need for it, seeing as I was invulnerable, but I wasn't sure if I wanted Kronos to know that, so I put on a helmet and a simple breast plate. I looked over at Annabeth to see that she had barely finished with her armor, too, and was now standing up and pulling out her knife.

"Been nice fighting with you, Percy," she said without meeting my eyes.

"Same here, Annabeth," I answered.

"Good luck, guys," Thalia shouted from across the flanks, in front of the rest of the hunters. Before either of us could answer her, Thalia ran forward and furiously threw herself into the enemy lines, accompanied by about ten other campers who also were wearing full battle armor.

Without another word, Annabeth and I followed.

The first monster I came across was a giant hellhound, about the size of either a large truck or a small tank. It swiped at me with huge paws, and I quickly ducked and rolled underneath its stomach. Once I was underneath, I stabbed upward and disintegrated the monster into dust.

I stood back up, subconsciously deciding that I would destroy the entire front line of hellhounds first before attacking any other monster. True, the other monsters had weapons, but right now the hellhounds were everyone's top priority. My mind went on autopilot, and I repeatedly saw hellhound after hellhound disappear under Riptide's arch. Finally, I came to the last one, and I slashed mercilessly. It yelped in surprise before exploding into dust and blending in with the remains of its comrades.

I turned to find that the battle was raging all around me. I could clearly see many of the campers as well as satyrs and Hunters, either fighting for their lives or helping to carry others away to the infirmary. It was madness; every where, yelling, crying, sweating, bleeding. Finally, I spotted who I was looking for: Annabeth, at the top of Half-Blood Hill. She was desperately trying to fight off two _empousai_at once with her knife. Panic rushed over me as I saw her being forced to the ground and I heard a faint cry escape from her. I ran over to help her.

"Hey!" I yelled, coming up from behind one of the _empousai_and stabbing it in the back before it had the chance to turn and attack me. It screamed and exploded.

"Thanks," Annabeth panted as she quickly stood up and stabbed and killed the other _empousa_.

"Anytime."

Her eyes suddenly widened. "Percy, look behind you."

I turned, nearly groaning at the sight. More and more monsters were still pouring into camp, but Kronos and his demigods weren't even within sight yet.

I looked back at Annabeth. "We'll do this together," I offered.

She nodded grimly.

Monsters swarmed around us, and almost as if we had rehearsed it, Annabeth and I went shoulder to shoulder, facing opposite directions. I fell into a sort of trance, and without being fully aware of what I was doing, I attacked any enemy in sight without hesitation. Slashing, hacking, dodging. It was just like instinct.

I'm wasn't sure how long Annabeth and I had been fighting- it could've been hours already- before I looked around and realized something: Out of the many hundreds that had been here when the battle began, only about three hundred monsters remained. However, we weren't doing very well: I could only spot about fifty of our allies still up and fighting, other than me and Annabeth.

**Chapter 16:**

**Darn the Gods Darn Minotaur**

Annabeth's POV

After about ten minutes of fighting side-by-side, Percy and I had become seperated again. I would just glance at him every once in a while to make sure he was holding up, making sure he was still unharmed.

"Percy!" I shouted fearfully as I noticed that the idiot had become distracted, watching the fights that our allies were going through. The Minotaur snuck up behind him, its double-bladed, omega-shaped ax held to the side, ready to swing. Sure, Percy bore the curse of Achilles, but what if the ax unintentionally hit his weak spot? "Hey! Behind you! Watch out!"

I would have run to help him if I could, but I was too far away; I'd never make it. This was Percy's fight.

I simply stared in horror and felt my blood run cold as Percy turned to see the Minotaur a second too late, and the monster swung its weapon, nailing Percy in his side and sending him into the air like a rag doll.

"No-" my scream choked off with a gurgle as a severe pain stabbed into my lower back. Hot blood began to trickle down my back.

I was such a hypocrite.

"Annabeth!" a familiar voice yelled as my vision went blurry. I heard the shrill scream of an empousa as it evaporated behind me, and I felt a pair of strong arms catch me from behind before my face hit the floor.

The last thing I remember was tasting blood.


End file.
